General Thoughts About Teaching Ethics
I can’t think of anything that is more fun to teach than ethics…or professional responsibility, if
you prefer. I call it “ethics” and not “professional responsibility” because there is something
reverent, perhaps even mystical, about the word “ethics.” Professional responsibility sounds
sterile and rule-driven. Even though our study of ethics IS rule-driven, we want it to sound
mystical, as if we are letting students in on a closely-held secret. They’ll enjoy it more that way.
Under no circumstances should you use your case files as teaching materials. As teachers, we
want to model good ethical behavior. That’s why I ask each of you to not teach out of your old
client files and not tell stories about your actual clients. When you do, you teach your students
that talking about cases (active or closed) is okay for them, too.
I’ve provided two syllabi in the next few pages. The first one is the traditional syllabus; the
second is in “newsletter” format. I find that the students respond well to the newsletter format
The General Game Plan
1. First thing, right now, go to www.pearsonhighered.com/educator and request an
instructor access code. Once you get that, you can download the Test Generator (Test Bank)
questions and the Power Point Lecture Presentations. These will make your semester go much
2. Plan out your whole semester in advance. I know this is hard to do the first time, but I’ve
given you some help here. In a few pages you will find a semester-long lesson plan that you can
3. Give the students whatever assessment tool you will be using at the beginning of each
chapter. In other words, plan to say something like: “At the end of this chapter, you will be
expected to know the answers to these questions: 1, 2, 3, 4. You’ll be asked to answer these 10
multiple choice questions and write essay answers to these two questions.” Every so often
Tell the students to keep an Ethics Notebook for all of the papers this course will generate,
including cases, state law, and assessments.
Planning Assessments with the Students
If you take a minute right now and look at the Table of Contents, you will see that the
“questions” are right there. (Well, some of them will have to be re-worded.) For example,
“Why are we here?” is the first question. In other words, your students should know the
answer to the “umbrella” question: “Why do we study legal ethics?” By the end of this
chapter, they should be able to tell you that answer, in addition to:
What are lawyers?
What kind of education is required to be a lawyer?
What is the bar exam?
What kind of moral requirement is there for lawyers, and what are the miscellaneous
requirements? etc.
4. Conduct class as an expert teacher.
At the beginning of each class period, write three things on your whiteboard:
c. where you expect to be in the next class
period.
on track if you have inadvertently strayed from your
lesson plan.
Lesson Planning
If you don’t have a lesson plan of some sort, you
will look disorganized and unprofessional. If you
don’t like that sick feeling that happens whenever
you are unprepared, you will appreciate having some
Plan to have your students to work in teams often. One big challenge in paralegal education
is “retention,” keeping students in the program. One answer to the retention challenge is
“community.” Students tend to stay where they feel a part of something. Working together
creates friendships. There are some collaborative assignments that you can use for classroom
activities in the text. I have tried to give you some “secret” activities here in the Instructor’s
Manual with which you can surprise your students. That’s always fun. Activities also break up
those long classes
Change up what the class is doing every 20-30 minutes. Look at the statistics. That’s the
attention span of this generation. You can’t fight it so you might as well go with it.
Warning! For heavens sake do not, under any circumstances, show the power point
presentations in class without viewing them first. They have places where you are supposed to
fill in your state law and there may be places where my opinion is contrary to yours.
Last week – we looked at an introduction to UPL including our state law.
By the end of class tonight – you’ll be able to answer these three questions:
1. What does history say about UPL?
Next class- we’ll finish up Chapter 2 on UPL and take the Chapter final
MODEL SYLLABUS
Course Title:
Course Number:
Credit Hours:
Course Length:
Prerequisite
Semester:
Instructor:
Day/Time:
Course Description: This course introduces students to the study of legal ethics. We will be
studying the concept of “ethics” and “being ethical.” We will research, read and study the rules
of professional responsibility that pertain to paralegals (and lawyers) in our state. Ethical issues
Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
2. Know how to classify that issue into one of the nine broad topic headings we will learn.
4. Demonstrate effective communication and critical thinking skills by utilizing appropriate
legal analysis and vocabulary in the production of oral and written discussions pertaining
to a variety of ethical issues.
Text: Deborah Orlik, Ethics for the Legal Professional, 8th Ed., (Pearson 2013).
Other Materials: This course involves research on the internet. Each student needs access to a
reliable computer and the internet.
Instructional Methods: This course will combine lecture, class discussion, and analytical
Grading: The student’s final grade will be determined on a point system and divided into the
following components and approximate proportions:
Class participation 10%
Assignments 25%
The following grading scale will be utilized as applied to the total points accumulated in this class:
A = 90–100%
D = 60–69%
Attendance: Students are expected to attend every class meeting.
Make-up Work: Since meeting deadlines is a very important skill required of a successful
paralegal, make-up work will be allowed only upon a showing of good cause.
Ethics Policy: A breach of the rules of professional ethics in the paralegal profession is very
Paralegal Studies 107
Paralegal Ethics
Welcome to Paralegal Studies 107
Paralegal Studies 107 is a course
about ethics for paralegals and
others in the legal field. This
course reviews the laws used by
most of the states and the very
special laws adopted by our
state. We’ll differentiate the
rules that only apply to lawyers
and the (many more) laws that
apply to paralegals and lawyers.
We won’t be talking so much
about any philosophical views of
“morals” so much as we’ll be
talking about rules of law.
We have several primary
objectives in this class. By the
end of the semester, you will:
for finding the answer to your
ethical dilemma.
Instructor Information
Name:
Cell phone:
email:
Textbook Information
Orlik, Ethics for the Legal Professional,
8th Ed.
Pearson (2013)
Class Philosophy: We will not be emphasizing the
memorization of facts, but will instead focus on
an understanding of the concepts and gaining a
contribution to the classroom community.
Your school
logo here!
2 Academic Honesty
2 Classroom Conduct
3 Attendance
How to Get a Great Grade in this Class!
900-1000 points = A
800-899 points = B
Academic Honesty:
behavior, ask in advance.
Classroom Conduct:
Students are expected to be in class on time and
ready to discuss the reading assignment. The
American legal system is a complex one and
Assignment Policies:
Since meeting deadlines is a very
important skill required of a
successful paralegal, make-up
work will be allowed only upon a
showing of good cause.
Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory. We only meet
you are expected to talk to another
student in class about missed work.
Assignments and lectures are all posted
on Blackboard, but you should find out
exactly what we did in class and what is
required for the next class. Do not ask
me to repeat instructions or lectures for
you. And please don’t ask if you “missed
anything important.” It’s all important.
If you miss more than three classes, I
reserve the right to drop you from the
class.
Misc. Rules:
• No food or drink is allowed in
class. This includes gum.
• If you are sick, please don’t
come to class.
• Cell phones must be on “silent”
or turned off. If your cell phone
rings, take your phone and all of
your stuff and leave class. You
may return to class for the next
class period. You sacrifice your
Participation Requires Preparedness
Being prepared for class includes,
but is not limited to, reading the
assigned material (with a dictionary),
taking notes while reading, bringing
the notes and book to class with you,
visiting the class website for
announcements and assignments,
researching and retrieving data from
the Internet, and participating in
class discussions.
The Tools You Need to Succeed
• Personal computer and
printer. The College has
computers if you do not.
• Access to the Internet.
• Textbook, dictionary,
5
Course Calendar
This course calendar is tentative.
You will be notified of any changes.
Week
Reading
Discussion Topic
In-Class Activity
6
Lesson Plan
Instructor: Location:
Course: Lesson Topic:
Lesson Duration: Date and Time:
Time
Bridge-in:
Materials and
Equipment:
Time
Objective(s):
Time
Body of Lesson:
Time
Check for Understanding:
Time
Closure:
7
Some explanation of the Lesson Plan form:
The Bridge-In is the clever way you have of bringing your students to the lesson on that day.
This could be a story that you tell, a demonstration, a role play you do with a student, a video
clip or many other short, interesting bridges from the other part of their day into your lesson.
say (here I put on my best “Valley Girl” accent) Oh my Gawd! You know that client we picked
up last week? The one with the big accounting problem? Well, the guy from his accountant’s
office asked me out on a date! What do you think? Should I go out with him?
At least one student sees the potential problem—conflict of interest—and now they are all
interested, laughing and ready to learn! That’s a bridge-in.
Your Objective: Teach your state’s rule on personal relationships with clients (and their third–
party vendors?) creating conflicts of interest.
The Check for Understanding can be a 5-minute essay (see 5-Minute Essay form), or it can be
Closure: The closure I use is a wrap-up of what we’ve accomplished and where we go from
here: “We started with our role-play with the secretary and the paralegal. We looked at our Rule
1.8, discussed what “substantially related” means and talked about the Silver Chrysler Plymouth
A Different Format:
If you are a minimalist, or perhaps someone with teaching experience, you might want to try a
shorthand lesson plan like the one I use for a one-hour class:
Day
Bridge-In– 5 min.
15 minutes
15 minutes
25 minutes
2/16
Valley Girl Conflict
Introduce Conflicts
Generally. Review
Table of Contents
and Chapter
expectations
Role play or
video on client
asking paralegal
on a date
Power Point and
lecture: What does
substantially
related mean?
**
Reading +
Topic
20-30 minutes
Teaching Tools
30-40 minutes
Check for understanding
1
Chapter 1 (pgs. 1–
15)
Introduction – The
difference between
“morals” and
“professional
responsibility”;
Regulation of
Lawyers and the
Legal Profession
1. Class Introductions
2. What is a lawyer?
3. What is a paralegal?
4. How do paralegals fit
into the Legal Prof?
5. Lead-in to “how should
paralegals be regulated?”
PowerPoint Chap 1
Collaborative
Assignment on page 251
—A good way for
students to meet each
other.
Listen to class
discussion to determine
their understanding
1A
Chapter 1 (pgs. 15-
26
Paralegals and Rules
of Ethics
How should paralegals be
regulated? 20 minute
lecture with Power Point
PowerPoint Chap
Recent DOL letter
in the Extra
Resources for
Chapter 1 on line
Collaborative
Assignment, pg 29.
In groups, students read
and discuss the four
different types of
paralegal regulation
schemes (pgs 20-26)
Students can use Rule of
4 handouts to determine
what kind of regulation
would work in our state.
Collect Rule of 4
handouts to see what
students have written
If you will not have enough time, you can complete 1 and 1A in one class but the students will miss the interactive activities.
2
Chapter 2 (pgs. 37-
51 and Cleveland
Bar v. Pearlman
(pgs. 61- 64)
Also: download and
print out our state’s
Rules of Prof.
Conduct.
Students are
Unauthorized
Practice of Law
Where is the law in our
state on UPL? What does
it say?
10 Minute class
discussion on Video
Power Point 2
Video: When
Friends Ask for
Legal Advice (6
In groups, answer
questions on Pearlman
case (pg. 64) (or other
sort of “innocent” UPL
case. For contrast,
students can read a
“profit centered” UPL
case or article. For a
shorter read, use Despain
case (pg. 60)
Students hand in
answers to questions on
the in-class reading
(case or article.)
all through the
course.
There are 15 extra
cases in the Extra
Resources for
Chapter 2 on line
video
or
Role Play on how you
would deal with friends
who ask for legal advice.
3
Chapter 2 (pgs. 52-
57
UPL – Lawyers Aid
in UPL
1. Review UPL from last
week
2. Lawyers Aid UPL by:
a. improp. supervision
b. improper delegation
c. improper business
relationship
d. improper division of
fees
3. Misrepresentation of
paralegal status as non –
lawyers
4. Enforcement &
Penalties
Power Point Chapter
2_Lawyers Aid UPL
Video: Disclosure of
Status
In-class discussion of
answers to video
questions
or…
More Collaborative
Assignments (pg. 60)
Consider asking a
student to teach the class
the Work Product
Privilege.
Cut out an ad for
paralegal services and
list all the things that are
wrong or are
misrepresentation on it.
Use a Reading 3, 2, 1
for one section of the
text – improper division
of fees, for example. It
is in the Extra Resources
for Chapter 3 on line
4
Chapter 3 (pgs. 73-
87) (if you are
breaking this into
two separate
lectures, save pages
88-92 for the next
class.
Students should try
to find this law in
their state and add
these pages to their
Confidentiality &
Attorney Client
Privilege
1. The difference between
Confidentiality and A/C
Privilege is one that many
lawyers don’t understand
2. Confidential Info has a
clear, 3-part rule.
3. Attorney/Client priv is
a rule of Evidence
4. Technology (pgs. 80–
85)
5. If you have time,
discuss Confidentiality
Power Point 4
There are 5 videos
on Confidentiality
from which to
choose.
There is a great deal to
lecture on in this class so
extra time for activities is
unlikely. You can make
an activity out of
teaching each other
Work Product Privilege
(or assign that to a
student to teach in the
previous week)
Rather than “teaching”
class. Let the students
brainstorm.
5
Chapter 4 (pgs. 104-
111 top)
Conflicts of Interest
Basics
1. The substantially
related test sounds
complicated but really
Power Point Chapter
4
Students brainstorm (in
groups or individually)
and put into an Access
The beginning conflict
database should give
you an idea if the